Today (23/7/03) on the Dublin Life show on News Talk 106 FM, after the 3pm
news, Martin will be discussing the best way to find value on restaurant
wine lists. Avoid the well known names like Chablis and
Chateauneuf-du-pape and search out something off the beaten track.
This week's choice as wine of the week is from Le Caveau in Kilkenny.
Rather like going to see a band in an
inexpensive small venue before they become famous it's possible to spot
wine regions that are on an upward curve and hence probably
undervalued.
Last week's wines of the week, Inycon in
Sicily, were a classic example and Southern Italy is full of good value
wines. In fact most of the Mediterranean rim is modernising, improving and
offering value. All sorts of places in Spain aside from famous places like
Rioja or Priorato offer value. Almost all of Portugal offers terrific value
and genuinely different wines, while Greece has been transformed in recent
years.
France, despite a reputation for high prices
has plenty of good value wines. Alsace is almost a by-word for value and quality,
but it's the non classic or famous regions with the most to offer. The
South and Southwest are a hot bed of innovation, whether you want to play
it safe and buy a varietal Chardonnay or merlot or search out less known
appellations like St Chinian or Jurancon. This week's wine of the week is
from Bergerac, an appellation often over looked but which has many
exciting young growers like Charles Martin at Chateau de la Colline
or Luc Conti's Ch. Tour des Gendres 2002,
Bergerac, 86/100, €10.95 at Kilkenny's
Le Caveau. It's a biodynamically farmed estate where they
profess to be anti-modern. Despite this the wine tastes very modern to me
with a deep colour and ripe fruit and tannin and notes of blackberry and
plum.
If you're looking for value in the New
World, then the big Aussie and Chilean brands are OK, but for me Argentina
is the place to look with more and more exciting wines emerging with every
vintage.
Best advice of all is to patronise those
places that offer a flat mark up such as The Gables in Foxrock or Heavens
Above & The Sky and the Ground in Wexford.
Lastly, try bringing your own and offer
to pay corkage. Chances are it'll probably still be cheaper and better.
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